The Hom Chronicles
by TheEchoingSoul
Summary: 50 one shots focusing around (M) Hom! Why? There is a lack of Hom and Fanfictions here! These one shots range from Hom doing anything from menial labor to making the boys jealous to discovering what a hairbrush is.
1. Hom Makes A Crown

I do not own Atelier Rorona or Homhom! If I did then there would be more Homhom.

Hello readers and welcome to the Hom (Male) Chronicles! *Cheers* Yes, now settle down. Thank you. So, here's the jist of these one shots: These are a collection of one shots that will vary in length and will often portray Hom doing anything from tasks to eating pie with Rorona.

This will only be stated once, but I in no way own Homhom. This cute humunculus is owned by those that made Atelier Rorona~

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It was pretty, gorgeous even, how the flowers blossomed together. As a unit they clustered into a field and danced in a bipolar breeze. They were together. Always blooming, dancing, withering, and freezing in a cycle; together.

Hom sat in the field, staring out at all the flowers before him. He touched a flower close to him, loving the way the petals felt against his fingertips. Petals were soft, nearly like silk. He moved to touch the next one, a delicate pink flower with curved petals.

As he was petting the petals he began to think back to his master, Rorona. He was upset with her a very great deal. Of course, thinking back on it, he probably shouldn't have stormed out in a fit of rage. Still, his purpose for existing is to serve, to work. Master was not using his abilities to her advantage or even assigning him tasks, even menial ones! It wasn't right. Hom is a homunculus, a created life meant to serve his master.

He plucked the flower and gingerly placed it on his lap where ten others were resting, each of them a different colour. He was gathering flowers to make a crown and bracelet. It was something that Rorona had taught him some time ago. It was an unimportant skill, something trivial, but he became fascinated by the simple creations. In fact, he was much better than Rorona at making them. He was precise in his weaving and keen in arranging the flowers symmetrically. His master's were always crooked and uneven.

Hom's master was a strange girl. She's naïve and trusting to a fault. No matter what she does she always knocks something over or gets involved in some big scene. Even the people that visit her are strange. The cook, Iksy, is hot-headed and obnoxious, but has a good heart. Sterk is horridly awkward and isn't well with words, but he's protective and sincere. Tantris is a ladies' man, but is a good person. Cory is loud and a shrimp, but she's master's friend.

It was not too difficult to understand why they all got along so well; they were all similar. In a sense, Hom felt excluded. He didn't know how to be like them or how to act like them. He could only watch them and speak with Rorona one on one. At least then, because she was his master, he felt he belonged. Hom needed orders. He needed them because that was his purpose.

Hom began to weave the flowers together, carefully colour coordinating them and keeping a steady grip.

As he weaved Hom drifted back to that afternoon when his master had yelled at him. Granted he had thrown a tantrum first, but he never expected her to be so upset. Usually she would just assign him a task to do. Yet, this time was different. She had burst into what are called tears and yelled at him to leave if he so felt the need to do work. It had been a horrible sight.

Hom had left the workshop, but only because he did not know what happened. His master was obviously upset and he was likely the cause of it, but why so? What had he done wrong? Perhaps she found out about what Little Meow did in her bed or that he had been the one that ate the rest of the honey supply. Regardless, his master was upset. He had failed,

He was meant not only to be a worker, but also a little brother to his master. Yet, even though he observed the children in the streets, he could not understand how to do this task. How should a little brother act or even go about doing things? Many of the younger children in the village were constantly being reprimanded or were teasing their older siblings. He was not the brightest with human interaction, but knowing his master, she would not appreciate such behavior.

Maybe that's why master cried. Hom was a failure at being a little brother. Master had always wanted a sibling, but not like this. She wanted someone human and similar to herself at least in the blood department. That must be the reason. Hom was only a substitute.

Hom stared down at the crown and bracelet, surprised when he noticed that they both were uneven. One of the rose's petals had even fallen off, throwing the pattern completely off. It wasn't like him to mess up on something so simple like this. Perhaps he was falling ill or maybe he was malfunctioning. Maybe that's why master cried. He was failing in both his tasks and in regular functions. Would he be replaced? He couldn't see himself without his master, helping her in anything she asked.

He didn't want to be replaced. He wanted to serve by his master's side forever. That is his purpose. Still, if he was beginning to fail he would rather spend his last moments with his master or at least fulfilling one last task; he would be useful even though he was dying.

As he shifted his gaze from the accessories, Hom stared ahead at the horizon where the sun was nearing her descent. He hadn't noticed how late it was until then. He stood up, deciding it would be best to head back before the early autumn chills seeped in. Hom stared at the crown of flowers and the bracelet, debating on leaving them in the field or not. Eventually he decided to just take them with him so that he could untangle them and preserve the flowers in a vase.

By the time Hom reached town it was dark out. To be honest, Hom did not like the dark; he tolerated it to a certain point. Thankfully, he usually had the moon to guide him, but tonight was different. His guide was covered by a few clouds, a normal occurrence in the pre-autumn weather.

The only sound was the clicking of his shoes against the cobblestone. The resounding made the night seem massive and, honestly, scared Hom more than being in the woods faced with multitudes of monsters ever did. At least in the forest there were other beings wondering around. There was always noise, but at this hour civilians were normally inside. The only one Hom had ever seen outside at this time was Pamela, the ghost girl who ran the shop two buildings over from Atelier Rorona. She would wonder around a bit, looking to see if there were other ghosts like her around. So far her efforts were fruitless, but they kept her entertained.

Hom quickened his step, not wanting to waste any more time outside. He had never been one to favor the cold; he only tolerated it, like how he did with the dark. As he came closer to the shop he heard some commotion behind him, along with shouting. Halting, Hom looked over his shoulder and saw Sterk. The man spotted him and hurried over to him. "Where have you been? Rorona has been looking for you all day." Hom stared up at him blankly.

Master was worried about him even though he caused her to cry?

The knight sighed, "I don't know what happened, but you should head back to the shop. She's really worried about you."

Hom continued his walk back home after Sterk left. He wasn't sure why, but he was nervous. A part of him was hoping that his master would have reverted back to her normal self by the time he got home, but it had grown worse.

Hom hesitated at the door, unsure of himself. Just as he thought that he should just go in the door opened and his face was met with his master's chest. "Homhom! I was so worried about you! I'm so sorry I yelled at you! Are you alright? You didn't get hurt like last time, right?"

Hom stayed sitting there, his head resting against his master's chest with her arms embracing him. "No, master. I am fine."

Honestly, Hom was more than fine. He was warm now and something felt full inside him. He let his master coddle him, pulling him inside into the workshop and setting him on the couch before leaving his side to grab him something to eat. "It's an apology for earlier." She nervously handed him the cabbage soup, gauging his reaction when he took a bite.

"Hey, what are those?" She asked curiously, looking at the flower crown and bracelet.

If Hom could blush he would have turned scarlet. He didn't want his master to see his failed attempt, but she was quick to take them anyway.

"Wow, these are sooo pretty!" She exclaimed, turning each in her hand, "Can you show me how to make ones like these? ...Mine usually turn out pretty bad."

Hom stared at her in surprise. She wanted one, but they were failed attempts! They weren't perfect or even on par with the ones he normally made. But as he watched her ogle them he found that he couldn't say no.

"You can have them." The simple statement sent her lunging at him in a hug, thanking him before she got up to find a mirror to guide her in attempting to put the crown on.

Hom watched from his seat, finishing his soup. It didn't matter to Rorona that he had failed because she cared for him like an older sister. He had forgotten that about his master.

She was his older sister and she cared for him no matter what.


	2. Hom and the Hairbrush

Homhom wasn't sure as to how he was supposed to use such a strange, prickly device. One side was smooth and the handle was soft all around, but the upper part was full of sharper material. It didn't hurt to touch it, but it reminded him more of a porcupine than anything, a pink porcupine at that. Given, he shouldn't be looking through his master's things. Girls were strange after all. Grand master and master always argued about chests for some odd reason. Was Rorona's heart unhealthy?

Homhom moved to sit on the cushioned, backless chair so that he could see the mirror on the bur roué. The top of it was covered and in disarray with accessories that Rorona wore on and off and there was even alchemistical materials. He sighed at his master's disorganization, but didn't say anything. His master's clutter was apparently an "organized mess."

Looking from the mirror to the questionable object, Hom rotated the device in his hands, unsure as how to use something that seemed like an instrument of torture. But that can not be. Rorona would never torture someone on purpose, so this sugar-pink skinny-round stick thing must be used in some other way. It could be a miniature wand or maybe an ingredient for synthesizing. That's probably it.

Well, Rorona had given him that one synthesis task to do. Maybe he could use this device to help make it. Homhom stood up and left Rorona's room, heading for the cauldron. He began to add ingredients, stirring it carefully to avoid mistakes. Just as he was about to throw the strange object in Rorona arrived.

"Homhom, I'm back-Wait! What are you doing?" She bounded over and stopped Homhom from adding the object. "I'm adding the secret ingredient."

"Secret ingredient?" Rorona repeated questioningly. "You mean my hairbrush?"

"Hairbrush… Hom does not understand. What is a hairbrush?" Hom asked in confusion.

Rorona paused during multiple explanations, but couldn't seem to grasp what to say, "Hmmm, how about a demonstration?" She thought for another moment before indicating to her hair, "Homhom, what does my hair feel like; smooth or messy?"

Hom felt the strands, "Soft. Master's hair feels smooth."

Rorona took off her hat and rubbed her hands through it. "Now how does it feel?"

"Master's hair is messy."

"Correct! When your hair gets messy you use a hairbrush to make it soft again, see?" She took the brush back and brushed out her hair before having Hom feel it again.

"Hom understands now." Hom stated, impressed by the strange yet simple device.

"Hey, Homhom, when was the last time you brushed your hair?"

"Hom has never brushed Hom's hair."

"What?" Rorona squeaked in utter horror. After the initial shock wore off she pulled Homhom into her room, sat him on her lap, and began to properly teach him the art of combing and brushing hair…

"And then you place a bobby pin here and.."

And then some.

"You know what? We can't share a brush! It's unhealthy. I know, why don't we make you your very own brush, Homhom? Do you want one as cute as mine?"

Hom looked at the pink handle and wings on the brush and shook his head. There was no way he wanted something so obviously girly unless master already put sweat into it. And even then he would only use it out of necessity. Honestly, maintaining one's hair seemed dangerous with Rorona.

"Oh, what would you want on it then? Oh, how about we make it silver with petals and-" Hom let Rorona rattle on. He sorta liked the idea anyway, but he wanted blue petals. They matched his outfit.


	3. Hom Invokes Jealousy

Hom never liked the way the boys looked at his master or how they seemed to always flock around her. If anything, he absolutely detested the boys who didn't know his master well because random flirting boys were starting to become a major problem. Even Rorona herself didn't like it, but none of them seemed to care. However, his master was usually working so she was normally in too much of a rush to be bothered, but today was her day off and those pesky boys were working overtime.

Hom really didn't like them. None of them were good enough for his master. He looked over and spotted Tantris, who was about to walk over, Iksy, and then Sterk, who were also about to make their way over from opposite ends of the square. His annoyance sparked and so Hom decided that he would have to do something about this.

Today Rorona, his master, had promised to eat pie in the square with him, but at this rate a mob of suitors would drag her away, and he would have to eat alone. Hom would not stand for such a horrible deed! No one interrupts his pie time with master. No one. He would die first!

As suitors were crowding around Hom "tripped" and fell face first onto the cobblestone. Of course he wasn't seriously injured, but no one else knew that.

For the last few months Hom had put in the extra effort to learn and express emotion and that overtime was going to pay off today. He willed the tears into his ears and pitifully stared up at Rorona as she shoved her way to him. Perfect. When someone she cared about was in danger Rorona became like a griffin or vulture and would stop at nothing to make sure they were alright.

She kneeled on the ground before him, helping him to kneel also. "Homhom, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Looking up at her with the biggest tearful eyes he could manage Hom nodded his head, "My head just hurts a lot…big sister."

And there was the line he knew that would get him what he wanted the most. Rorona's eyes morphed from surprise to joy and then to a softer expression. "Would you like to go home?"

Hom shook his head, "No. I wanted to spend the day eating pie with master like we promised."

Rorona leaned in and hugged him, which allowed Hom to stare at the three main boys, Iksy, Tantris, and Sterk, and smirk at them before making sure to look pitiful when Rorona looked at him. "Come on, we can eat on the bench over there."

She helped Hom to his feet and nearly carried the smaller being over to the bench passing Iksy on the way. "Hey, Rorona I have this new recipe-"

"That's great Iksy, but I'm a little busy now. Sorry."

"Oh, ummm..it's no problem."

Hom looked back at him and smirked again. Iksel was rejected~ Iksel was rejected~

When they sat on the bench Hom made sure to sit extremely close to his master and wrap his arms around her waist, stubbornly looking at all the other jealous men. He smiled in triumph, knowing he could get away with this. Master was his big sister, after all. Besides, he wasn't partial to the cold, so he was keeping warm and making the other boys burn with jealousy. Perfect.

"Homhom, are you sure you're alright?" He glanced up at his master's face and nodded sweetly.

"Of course, I am just a bit chilly. No need to worry." She gave him a small worried smile before kissing his forehead, "If you say so, Homhom." Rorona then went back to opening the container with the pie in it.

Homhom curled more into her side glancing down at the container then back up at the suitors. He frowned as one was brave enough to step forwards and attempted to "help" open the container only to "accidentally" spill the contents on Hom, but Rorona was the one who ended up covered in pie filling.

As the man sputtered an apology and Rorona nearly started to cry over the stains Hom sat on his knees, still hugging Rorona, and licked a cherry off her face, then another. He looked over at all the boys and smirked.

Hom always had his pie.


	4. Hom's First Winter

Light blearily blanketed his eyes, but when he opened his eyes to view the disturbance Hom is greeted with an ocean of blue and warmth. Upon further inspection he discovers that he is not in an ocean. Instead he is nestled beneath the covers, curled into his master's side. He silently looked at his master's sleeping face while recalling that Grand Master had once described Rorona's sleeping face as "stupidly angelic."

Hom settled back down, pulling the covers over his head again in an attempt to go back to sleep. He had nothing better to do since his master was hugging him, and in her sleep Rorona was a force to be reckoned with. Of course she wasn't as cranky as grand master, but she had a tighter grip than when she was awake.

But Hom was awake. And he wanted to work. There was a pile of requests from Etsy, Sterk, Iksel, and that weirdo Tantris laying in the corner that he could start on. He could even go deliver the finished goods that were sitting in Rorona's bag or go out and gather more materials. In a nutshell, Hom knew he could be doing something beneficial and not doing it was immensely bothering him.

Hom glanced back at his master, at the small bags under her eyes. Rorona had grown so busy and dedicated to the shop that she barely ever had time to sleep or even eat anymore. In both body and mind this tired her, and others began to notice. Iksel would bring food over for them three times a week, and Etsy was limiting the requests, Sterk was always nagging about proper hydration and sleep, and a few times Tantris had shown up and made Rorona fall asleep by playing his strange instrument that Rorona often called a lute. However, this still never stopped incidents and accidents from occurring.

The greatest scare had been five days ago when Rorona had collapsed in the square. Tantris and Cordelia had instantly taken her to the local pharmacy where the doctor informed the large mass of worried people that Rorona had only collapsed from exhaustion and a cold. This settled many people's curiosity and fear, but did not quell the growing nervousness that something like this may happen again, and on a higher level. Hom may have shown up late due to gathering materials, but when he got there Sterk had nearly broken down. It had been an alarming sight to see the knight like that, but it had been coming for a long time. This wasn't the first time that Rorona had collapsed, but all previous incidents had been extremely minimal to a few hours of rest or some potion to soothe the symptoms.

Upon her release, Rorona had instantly wanted to get back to work and Hom could do nothing to stop her. He pestered and tried to sway his master into resting for at least a few hours. It was all in vain. Hom had to change his game plan so he tried to take on all the jobs he could, hoping to complete them all which would give his master no other option but to rest up. But while he was putting his plan into action Sterk had arrived to check up on Rorona's condition. And when he saw her working…

Hom had never been so afraid. To be honest, Hom had hidden behind a few crates and watched in silence as the knight fumed and yelled at both Rorona and at himself. It had lasted a few minutes, but then he left before Rorona could respond. As soon as the door closed, Hom had gone to his master's side, trying to console her while also attempting to sway her into sleeping. Hom had been afraid when she just sat their silently, in shock. And then she clung to Hom and sobbed, crying out apologies that no one else but Hom could hear.

It took nearly an hour, but Hom had made tea and brought it to Rorona's room, tucking her in as he did so. He had meant to go back to work when Rorona grabbed his hand and asked for him to stay. It hadn't been a hard decision, but instead of doing it out of conduct Hom discovered that he really wanted to. He even had briefly wondered if this is how a family unit is; present and aiding in comfort, something Rorona needed at that moment.

They had stayed awake for no more than an hour. Rorona was oddly silent, but was not immune to suddenly spitting out things. For example; the reason she was doing so many requests and the thought process behind why she didn't pause. Those three years of doing assignments and requests had passed rapidly. Rorona's average request time per customer was no more than three weeks give or take a few days while usually handling multiple jobs at once. It was all for gaining a good reputation, but after those three years people still expected the same swift speed. Rorona could never keep up with it all if she took the breaks she needed. All her work would go to waste and her reputation would plummet.

Rorona had even spilled that she missed her own master, Astrid. There of course was genuine sadness of her master leaving, but there were many other concerns such as if Hom himself ended up mortally wounded that Rorona would have no idea as to how to go about fixing it and that she's not good enough. Hom found the latter preposterous. Rorona had proven herself many a times by just holding up a flask. She had progressed, and was still rapidly progressing, and experimenting with ingredients. In Hom's mind everyone should feel honored that Rorona was even taking requests instead of just charging larger sums of money or refusing to make certain items in general.

Hom stared at his master's face, at the small tear tracks and her red nose. The whole incident with Sterk had happened yesterday. Hom didn't even blame the knight for flipping out because Hom himself had been too afraid to do it; too conflicted. His purpose was to serve his master, but he was unsure as to how it implied in this situation. On one hand he would be serving the greater needs of his master, but on the other he had never yelled before and he wasn't even sure how to go about yelling. Is yelling at his master even appropriate?

Hom shifted his gaze towards the ceiling above him, taking in the small traces of gray light coming through the window's drawn curtains that was located on the wall in back of him, above the bed. He couldn't help but note that the colour was somewhat off. Light was usually yellow or white, never grey tinted. He carefully shifted to take a better look; rolling onto his back to stare directly up.

He could see the small dust particles within the strange grey lighting, much like how it would in regular lighting of the gold and sunny variety. Still, he did not know what this was caused by. Light is not suddenly grey-ish for no reason at all. Perhaps a fire was at work or there was construction going on. He eliminated those possibilities quickly. He could not smell anything burning nor hear any power drills or hammers.

Rorona mumbled something next to him, her eyelids gently flickering as she loosened her grip on Hom just a fraction. This allowed him to detangle himself from Rorona, but when he did Hom was slightly surprised at how cold the room really was. It was lower than what it should be on any given day. Still, he was too curious about the window. Soundlessly he stood up on the mattress and griped the fold of the curtain, suddenly feeling colder, before edging the curtain awry to look out.

It was all white. Everything was coated in white. White streaks, much like the rain, were falling from the sky like ash after a volcanic eruption. When Hom took a breath it came out as a white mist and fogged up the window. How peculiar. This had never happened before, but no one was yet on the streets panicking. Then Hom realized something; it could be dangerous. Whatever is coating the house may be some new plague or monster attempting to invade Arland. He had to keep his master safe!

Hom stepped off the bed and hurried into the workshop to fetch a few things from a crate. The cold must be to weed out the people of Arland and make them freeze to death. To counter this master and him would need a source of warmth. Luckily, Rorona had made and ordered special clothes for the both of them for something called _snow_, whatever that was. Hom, after pulling the clothes out, went and started up the fire place. He strung the clothes on top of the mantle to warm them up before taking inventory on what they did and didn't have. So far it seemed that it they had to wait the monster out they were well stocked.

Hom walked back into his master's room and began drawing the curtains back over the windows. No hungry pack of wolves would peer in, see them, and try to eat his master if Hom could prevent it. He also checked to make sure the windows were locked before pulling out ten more blankets from Rorona's closet, draping three on Rorona before leaving the room once again. He stuffed the underneath of Astrid's locked door with one blanket before heading towards another pile of crates. He pushed them aside to reveal a small door. Quietly, Hom descended the steps and made sure to lock the secret underground escape route's door that his master had no idea existed. Once satisfied, Hom went back up the stairs and recovered the door.

Hom went about stuffing the nooks and crannies of the workshop meticulously. There would be no chance of master or him freezing to death. Hom wasn't able to protect his master from collapsing or falling ill, but he could save them from an ice age or any monster that tried to enter their home. He wouldn't make the mistake of not paying attention to what was going on around him.

"Homhom, what are you doing!" Rorona called out from the doorway, eyes wide in surprise from what she was seeing.

"I am preparing for the battle." Hom replied, "Master should go lie back down. You look ill."

Rorona scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously as Hom moved towards the caldron to start on a fire bomb. "Homhom, what battle? Do I have another monster request?"

"Master should let Hom handle everything." Rorona paused, "But Hom, you should let me help."

"No. Master needs to rest." Hom replied, trying to be firm like Sterk or even Cordelia. "Please, master."

Rorona's smile slid off her face and she stared at the ground, "Are you all that worried about me?"

Hom looked up at her, internally surprised that she even had to ask. His master was dense, but he didn't think _this _dense. Thankfully, his silence seemed to answer her question. She began to sniffle and cry again, sinking to the floor and sobbing while trying to wipe her tears away with her sleeves. "I'm sorry, Homhom." She repeated over and over.

Hom set down the flask and walked toward Rorona and kneeled down to pat her head. "Master, please stop crying. We are all worried about you." He handed her a handkerchief, which she blew her nose into until empty and then tried to hand it back to Hom.

"Thanks, Homhom. I'm sorry for worrying you…" Rorona hugged him again, smiling faintly up at him. She then looked over at her pile of requests and sighed, "What am I going to do about those?"

Hom looked over at them for a few seconds before draping the used handkerchief over it. "Master should get well first and then plan accordingly."

"Okay, Homhom." Rorona stated before standing up, "Oh, Homhom, I just remembered that I came out to ask you what you were doing."

"I'm preparing for battle. There is an unidentified monster outside."

"What?!" Rorona cried, "A-A m-m-monster, here?"

"It appears so. It is a strange substance that is pure white." Rorona paused at that before cautiously moving towards the window and slightly moving the curtain aside, sighing in relief.

"Master, be careful."Hom called out in worry, moving over towards his master.

"Homhom, look outside! It's snowing!" Rorona replied, throwing the curtains open. Hom moved closer and stared out the window also at the strange white fluff. He looked at his master's awed face, not sure why she was so happy about such a threat. "Master…"

"Homhom, you've been to the Ster Highlands. Do you remember how could it is there and how it's covered in that cold substance?" Hom nodded. "Well, that's called snow! This is snow, too. Only it's snowing really hard now, but it should clear up by tomorrow. This is the first time it's snowed in Arland." Rorona ranted on, still staring out the window in some sort of trance. Hom, in the mean time, was feeling very embarrassed. He had over reacted to something nearly harmless.

"We should go out before it disappears." Rorona offhandedly stated.

"Tomorrow, if Master is feeling better." Hom replied.

"Really? Thank you, Homhom!" Rorona enveloped him in a big hug, laughing as she fell over, wiped out from her cold. "Hahahaha, I should go back to bed, huh?"

"That would be wise." Hom stated. He helped Rorona back into bed, made her tea, and tucked her in before softly closing the door once his master had fallen asleep. He leaves the cloth tucked into the crannies, deciding that it should at least keep some of the cold out if anything. Hom set about finishing a few requests that were due within the next few days in order to get them out of the way. Hopefully, the snow outside would delay the clients for awhile, but Atelier Rorona should not always rely on snow days for breaks. What really needed to be done was a sort of system. There could be no more than a certain amount of requests accepted per day, unless there was an emergency that required immediate assistance. Also, depending on how the number of requests accepted and finished would determine the amount that could be accepted the next day.

Of course, Hom would be able to help out with synthesizing, but he was usually given the task of gatherer. This did not allow him to help with the alchemy too often, but when he did it was usually not as great as Rorona's given that her level was higher than his. However, the more he practices the better he would become. That's all that needed to be done; help. Perhaps that Iksel guy would give them a discount on certain items if they brought him rare food items that were hard to find. That would make a few things easier for Rorona.

For the whole day Hom worked on synthesizing cold medicine and a few other miscellaneous objects of lesser importance. Around six at night he made Rorona some soup and woke her to eat. In the end, Hom ended up sleeping next to Rorona again. When they awoke the next day the snow had calmed down, even melted a small amount, but it had stuck. Rorona was feeling better, but still wasn't up to her normal standards so they took the rest of the day off.

Rorona helped dress Homhom up into a snowsuit, explaining the importance of staying warm in the cold weather. Rorona stays in her pajamas but puts on a heavy coat, boots, and a blanket. She stayed sitting on the steps that Hom had cleared for her, a cup of hot tea in her hands. Rorona watched Hom experiment in the snow, lightly toeing it with his boots and then touching it with his hands. Eventually he even ate a small amount of it before starting off on making snowmen under Rorona's suggestion and instruction.

Hom rolled the snow out in front of the house so that it was in front of the window. He made one of himself, putting his own hat on top of it, before starting on one of Rorona. As he's sculpting and staring at Rorona for details he loses track of time and of what Rorona was doing. But when he did become aware of his surrounding he realized that Sterk was now next to Rorona, talking. Hom quietly listened in while still paying attention to what he was doing.

He smiled to himself as the two make-up; sitting close to one another to conserve heat. In fact, they were sitting a little too close but, Hom didn't mind it. He liked Sterk because the knight was perfect for Rorona. He made up for all her faults, and vice-versa.

Hom glanced over at the two of them and softly smiled to himself. Perhaps, this winter-weather was a sign of something more to come. Even if that change would only truly develop after the frost, it didn't matter. The small buds of spring were already nestled underground, laying in wait for their chance to sprout.

At the end of that cold, rare-winter day in Arland, if one were to pass by Atelier Rorona they would see three snowmen that oddly looked like the two residents, but also one knight.

* * *

**AN:** I rather like the ending more than the beginning. However, this fandom is too small to care about really changing much about this one-shot. It's just cute in its own way.


	5. Hom and the Magic Windex

It came in a spray bottle, and was supposed to be good for most surfaces. Well, at least that's what Hom understood from the label. It was a peculiar cleaning product that a client had given him instead of money. It had come about due to the client's request, which resulted in the windows being coated in filth. Due to feeling bad, and maybe because they didn't have enough to pay, the client had given the two a solution to their problem.

Hom carefully aimed at the window and pulled the trigger. The liquid inside sprayed on the soot covered window, creating black streaks and smudges that flowed like tears. The streaks cried and fell to the bottom on the window, joining the other dirty stains and staying put. Hom set down the spray bottle, instead picking up a paper towel. He wiped the window, surprised when the black coating left behind only partial horizontal streaks. However, the window was not yet pristine and clear.

Six paper towels and nearly one-sixth of the spray later, the window was clear and as good as new. Hom discarded the soiled paper towels and stored the spray away. He started to clean the used flasks, glad that the window had been taken care of.

It was then that Rorona walked through the front door, "I'm back! Oh, Homhom, the window looks as good as knew!" She drew closer to the window in amazement, "When I left, it was really icky. What did you use?"

"Windex," Hom calmly stated, "The client told me that if there is ever a problem Windex can fix it."

"Wow, really?" Rorona gushed, "Do you think it could fix my staff? I broke it again when fighting. Hagel is going to charge me a fortune for breaking it again."

Rorona and Hom crowded around her staff with the Windex bottle in hand. Concentrating, Rorona sprayed the crack in her staff a few times.

Nothing happened.

"Did I use too much?" Rorona asked to herself. "No, maybe I need more."

She sprayed the staff a few more times and then wiped it done. However, despite her attempts and belief, the staff remained cracked.

"Well, I guess it is not magic." Hom stated, a bit disappointed that it hadn't worked. Now, the next thing on his agenda was to comfort his upset master, who was crying over having to fix it.

EPILOGUE!

That very night, while resting in Hagel's workshop, the staff began to shudder and jostle about. It clacked and clanged and rattled until falling to the floor.

That very next morning, when Hagel finally took a look at it, he was shocked to find that the crack was no where to be seen.

"I knew dwarves existed!" He had yelled out. Thankfully, no one heard his outburst or many more that would come to pass. However, these sudden mysterious happenings became scarce as the product know as Windex became more and more available on the market.


	6. Homhom's Cake Mishap

Hom wasn't too sure as to where he was. All he remembered was walking into the kitchen at the palace in his search for Rorona. His master hadn't been home for some time, and he had been worried about her safety. So, he had entered the kitchen only to see a very tall ladder that was set up before a large, layered platform. Afraid that Rorona, being herself, had fallen inside Hom had climbed up to check.

As he had been looking inside, the ladder had teetered and he promptly fell into the dark hole, hitting his head when he landed. As he was sitting up, voices drew closer and were just above him when his light source suddenly went out. Unsure as to what he should do, Hom stayed put as the voices chatted back and forth, drawing in and out as they went.

After awhile, Hom could feel that whatever he was in was moving. The destination? He had not a single clue. However, if the situation grew dire he would not hesitate to free himself from his prison. The walls around him jerked to forward, followed by the two voices yelling at one another. Hom had jerked forward with his prison, getting a mouthful of it.

Hom found his prison to be rather sweet and tasty. Hesitantly, he ripped out a chunk and sniffed it before deeming in safe to eat. To his own small bewilderment, Hom found his prison to made entirely out of cake. His small stomach rumbled lowly, reminding him that he had not had a bite to eat in days. Deciding the best course of action, Hom slowly began to eat his prison.

Outside of this, Rorona was waiting in the banquet area with all the other guests. A party had been organized for Hom to celebrate his third birthday, but no one could find the guest of honor. The two pastry chefs rolled the cake in, and this only caused Rorona to worry further.

"Oh, maybe he went out gathering again…" She gasped, "What if he's hurt! Oh, what should I do?"

Sterk put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You shouldn't worry so much. He's very capable. I'm sure he'll be along soon."

"But what if he's lost? I knew I should have told Hom to come to the castle." Her eyes grew teary.

"Rorona-"

"Master, you should not cry. I am right here."

"Homhom?" Rorona called out, eyes wide. The other guests began to look around for the source of the voice, but couldn't find the homunculus.

"Where are you, Homhom?" Rorona called out, rapidly searching for the boy.

"Over here." Rorona turned, but saw nothing. However, Hom repeated himself and Rorona slowly followed his voice. This led her to the large cake, "Homhom?"

"Master, you have found me." Leaning closer, Rorona could make out Hom's eyes from inside the cake.

"Homhom, what are you doing in there?" She called out in concern.

"I seem to have fallen inside." Was his reply, "I shall be out within a moment."

Just a few seconds later, the cake hole began to grow so that Hom's head could fit through. Aftr freeing his head, he continued to eat his way out so that he could walk out from the cake prison. Once he finally emerged, Hom was covered in frosting and small sprinkles.

"Homhom!" Rorona pounced on him, gushing over how cute he was.

"So, Master is not upset with Hom?"

"What?" Rorona drew back in surprise, "Of course not! I only wanted to keep this a secret."

Hom tilted his head to inquire as to what she meant.

"Happy birthday, Homhom!"

At her words, streamers went flying and a large banner was unrolled. Someone went around putting party-hats on the guests and music was played. Hom stood in the mass, awed by all that was going on around him. In his small chest, he felt something rather…peculiar. It was like being filled and near bursting, but this feeling was rather pleasant.

Perhaps, this was what _happiness_ is.


	7. Hom's Rainy Day

The small homunculus stared blankly out the window at the cascading little water droplets that left contrails. His eyes followed the trails to the base of the window before seeking a new droplet to watch. Lightning flashed golden white somewhere on the horizon, the drumming rolls of raucous thunder growing closer as the storm raged on.

Rorona had gone off to the forest earlier with Sterk and Gio to collect materials, leaving Hom alone with only small synthesizing jobs to do. They were relatively easy to complete and were finished quite some time ago. Now, Hom had nothing to do.

The artificial human didn't like being alone or having nothing to do; the reasons went hand in hand. Whenever Rorona didn't give him work he felt useless and like a waste of space. When he came home from gathering or when she went out without much notice he would feel funny. His eyes would constantly take in the room and he had the sudden need to cuddle kittens or to just hear someone else speak, no matter if the topic was interesting or not.

The flashes of light casted strange shadows across the room, but Hom didn't move from his seated position. A part of him was scared of the phenomenon, but the other part of him knew that storms were a natural occurrence. It was a conflicting battle between the two, so Hom tried to keep himself blank so as not to think too hard about it. He desperately hoped that Rorona would return soon. He didn't like the thought of his klutzy master to be out in the rain…she could catch a cold…but Grand master had once stated that idiot's couldn't catch colds, whatever an idiot is.

Hom blinked again as the windows were forced open by a nasty gust of wind. Water began to envelope the area, coming in thick sheets that beat against the floor. Hom hurried to his feet and rushed to close the window, finding it rather difficult with the harsh winds that were pushing in the opposite directions. However, he managed to close them.

He went about picking up the scattered papers, making sure to be extra careful with the damp ones. He grabbed a rag and went about cleaning the area of water to avoid lasting water damage. As he was scrubbing the floor Hom noticed something under the table. He crawled closer to investigate and picked up a thin book that had a silver lock, but the small lock was flimsy and broken.

Curiously, Hom opened the book and began to glance through it, quickly noticing that the book was something that people would write in, like one of those diaries that Cordelia denied ever having. However, this book had both words and pictures. The art was hand-drawn and decent…for six year olds.

Hom flipped the page and found a rather scribbled drawing of him. Under it was the caption _Homhom, Astrid says he's my little brother. He's really cute!_

Hom thought back to when he first met Rorona and nodded, that had been her first reaction alright. He continued to flip through the pages, finding multiple drawings of him, Sterk, and even a few of Gio as his master recounted their adventures. Every time he found a drawing of him, Hom went warm inside, a happy feeling that only came about when Rorona gave him hugs out of happiness instead of grief. Maybe, he was feeling happy. Astrid hadn't programmed him with emotions, so was this some type of development?

Hom blinked, he wanted to feel happy and make others happy. He wanted to understand what emotions were and how they worked. As he closed the book Hom felt that he was already one step closer. It's like denial, the first step is admitting you have a problem…well, that's what Esty always used to say.


End file.
